The Franklin Institute Online

The Franklin Institute was founded in 1824 by a group of Philadelphians in order to train artisans and mechanics in the fundamentals of science, but has since transformed itself into a science museum and research institute that also awards the Franklin Institute and Bower Awards annually. The Institute's Web site contains a host of information on their current and upcoming exhibits, which include substantial sections devoted to the mechanics and workings of trains, environmental science, and human physiology. The site also features the Inquiry Attic, where visitors can read brief profiles of scientific instruments in the Institute's collection, such as early X-ray machines and a tabulating machine used to conduct the United States Census in the 19th century. Perhaps the best online exhibit on the Institute's Web pages is the one devoted to the Wright Brothers, which features silent film footage of the Bergdoll 1911 Model B Flyer in flight and photographs of the many engineering objects given to the Institute by the Wright Brothers. Visitors can also read another feature, Braindrops, which feature small tidbits of scientific information updated daily.